Read Online Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta - Free Book Online Page B

wrinkles, my entire evening will be ruined.”
    “And here I thought you in such a state that tonight was spoiled, with or without a crinkled gown,” Elizabeth replied moodily. “Let her look if she wants.”
    “Don’t be impertinent, or I shall send you both home.”
    “What, and defy her ladyship’s orders?”
    Mrs. Windham gathered her ballooning skirts, ignoring Elizabeth. “Julia, you mustn’t oppose Lady Foxmore’s opinion, no matter what nonsense she utters. I daresay, she shall be in her fault-finding humor, but do as she bids. Why are we not moving?” She shuffled forward, treading on our dresses.
    The carriage rocked as Harry jumped from the box seat. After several minutes, he opened the door. Rain plastered hair to his forehead and dripped off his nose. “Lady Foxmore’s carriage is parked under th’ covered terrace. Her man has instructions not to move it.”
    “All evening?” Elizabeth asked.
    “Begging yer pardon, miss, but he dinna say when she planned on leaving.”
    “Oh, honestly.” Elizabeth pounded her lap. “Just once, I’d like to openly defy her ladyship.”
    For a moment it appeared Mrs. Windham might do so. She said nothing as water poured from the roof of the carriage and fell in loud splashes to the puddles beneath us, before finally saying, “Well, standing here accomplishes nothing. Fetch an umbrella, Harry.” She pulled the hood of her mantle over her hair as Elizabeth grimaced in disgust.
    “We shall have to dash for it, girls.” Mrs. Windham looked over her shoulder. “Such a shame too, the very idea of the gentlemen seeing mud over your petticoats.”
    “I have no intention of the gentlemen viewing my petticoats, with mud or otherwise.” Elizabeth leaned backwards to accommodate her mother readying her skirts. “Honestly, if Lady Foxmore wishes to end our acquaintance, why does she not discontinue her invitations, rather than insisting upon humiliating us?”
    She received no answer. The manservant returned with an umbrella and assisted Mrs. Windham first. In her absence, the carriage became a sanctuary. Elizabeth smoothed her skirts, while I felt my hair, ensuring the style held. To Nancy’s credit,the curls she’d toiled over remained. When Harry next opened the door, he offered his hand to Elizabeth.
    Alone, I picked at the hole in the fourth finger of my glove, recalling how I’d once hoped to arrive at Auburn Manor garbed in bridal attire and received as a daughter. It seemed ridiculous compared to arriving in the rain, an unwelcome guest in threadbare clothing.
    When the carriage door opened again, Harry’s nose was red. “Here, miss.” He offered his drenched hand. “Watch yer step. Best take me arm. Me apologies it’s wet. Wait, that water’s deeper than it ’pears.”
    Soggy leaves bogged around my foot as the manservant extended the umbrella over my head. Rain pounded on the silk canopy as I edged toward the house.
    Inside, a well-lit hall with burnished floors stretched beneath amber lanterns. Above, dark beams were braced by intricately carved corbels. Light spilled over the polished hall floor from behind closed doors, tempting me to explore. A smile tugged my lips as I wondered whether this was the hall in which, as Edward had once confessed, he and Henry played King Arthur and Lancelot. It was easy to picture two boys holding up wooden swords, declaring the suits of armor their captives.
    “Julia, do not straggle.” Mrs. Windham frantically waved me to follow the retreating butler.
    When I was a child, there was a certain fairy tale Mama sometimes told as she tucked me into bed. In it, a young lady had fallen deeply in love with a foreign dignitary who was soon to return to his native country. The girl had one last opportunity in which to win his affections, for he planned a ball the night before his departure.
    Lovesick, she spent every cent she had to commission a resplendent gown. Here, Mama always paused before finishing. The day of